118 ChaPter 3
turning a blind eye to illegal activity. The anxiety and depression of the Great
War seemed to be over. But that new culture was the product of a major
economic transformation—one that produced advanced technology and more
goods, turned more Americans into consumers, the buyers of such goods, than
ever before, led to better wages for working people, and created immense
wealth. But then, due to conditions in America and abroad, all came crashing
down with a global economic depression unlike any in modern times.Liberals
There can be no doubt that Americans took on more liberal attitudes in the
1920s on a variety of social issues. Women, who had just gained the vote,
began to step out into society more, with about 15 percent holding jobs out-
side the home. Some women, known as flappers wore shorter dresses, smoked,
drank, and danced, all considered taboo or subversive behaviors for females
before then. Even with the crusade against it, birth control became moreFIGuRE 3-1 A young flapper woman